The stakes are higher with Once Upon a Time this week as the show approaches its mid-season finale.

Summary

As we’ve seen from the last couple of episodes, Hook is now Captain Dark One, sharing the darkness with Emma. He seems bent on revenge on Rumplestiltskin/Mr. Gold, but there’s something more that Emma is sure of. Emma is powerless because Zelena puts on the band she once wore. Hook goes after Gold, challenging him to a duel. Emma seeks out her family, only to find they don’t fully trust her, especially Henry. Henry is dealing with finding out Emma tricked the girl he likes to break his heart in order to have freed Merlin. But, the two make up for the mistrust and Henry helps Emma get the dreamcatchers that fell into Hook’s possession. These dreamcatchers contain the memories of the group from Storybrooke. Even Emma had some memories stolen.

Flashbacks to Camelot reveal Hook’s struggle to stay good and Emma trying to hatch a plan to get rid of the darkness once and for all. But, Hook has succumbed to the darkness and crushes Merlin’s heart, thereby killing him. This causes Emma to take his memories of being the Dark One as Hook has enacted a new curse to take everyone back to Storybrooke. She causes memory lapse as part of the curse in an effort to build time to save everyone.

Back in Storybrooke, Rumple and Hook duel and Rumple ends up winning, claiming Excalibur. But, Rumple lets Hook live. Belle meets up with Rumple only to tell him her hearts been broken too many times. Though she loves him, she tells him she needs to figure things out on her own. With everyone’s memories restored Emma remembers the ultimate plan. Hook’s end game is to use Rumple’s blood on his hook from swiping at him during the fight to open a portal to the underworld. This portal brings Nimue, the first Dark One, and all the other Dark Ones from before. Now they’re all in Storybrooke. DUN DUN DUN!!

Review

This season has been possibly the most exciting season of Once Upon A Time ever! And this intense episode shows it’s not slowing down! I found everything to keep escalating as the episode went on. We get glimpses of Hook being good, but then something to shatter that and drive him deeper into darkness. It makes me wonder if he’ll ever get out of the darkness or perish with it.

It may not have been the best written of the season, yet Colin O’Donoghue’s performance as Captain Dark One makes up for a lot of it. He portrays an insane, evil Captain Hook with ease.

I’m glad to have Zelena’s story done with, though ti wasn’t quite the touching moment for me that they were trying to make it. Regina and Robin let her have her daughter to care for, all because Regina realized she was able to “turn good” because of raising Henry. It’s a neat concept, but it didn’t quite execute, despite the performances.

In the end the huge “What the!?” moment is at the end with both Merlin’s heart being crushed and Nimue bringing the Dark Ones to Storybrooke. It makes me think the darkness has won, but in what way is yet to be seen. I anticipate that Nimue and her minions will be defeated, but what will happen to the rest?